Recent advancements in active reconfigurable photonic devices have spurred interest in quantum information applications, ranging from computation to communications and sensing. Universal photonic processors (UPPs) play a crucial role in this domain, enabling the implementation of arbitrary unitary transformations on input photonic states. Common architectures for UPPs involve intricate interferometric meshes, with the reconfigurable Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) as the fundamental building block.
In this work, we present the realization of an 8-mode UPP using direct femtosecond laser writing (FLW) as the fabrication platform. FLW allows rapid and cost-effective prototyping of waveguides in glass-based substrates, achieving low insertion losses (down to 0.13 dB cm−1 for propagation and 0.2 dB per facet for coupling), a critical requirement for quantum applications.
By incorporating compact curved deep isolation trenches and stable, efficient thermal phase shifters, we have reduced the size of the MZI unit cell compared to the current state-of-the-art in FLW fabrication. This reduction improves integration density and circuit complexity with respect to the current state-of-the-art devices for this fabrication platform. The phase shifters exhibit minimal power dissipation (∼ 38mW) and thermal crosstalk (∼ 20 %). The device operates at a wavelength of 925 nm, making it compatible with state-of-the-art quantum dot single-photon sources. It features 28 MZIs and 56 thermal phase shifters, with total insertion losses below 3 dB. Additionally, we describe a calibration process combining conventional methods with a machine learning optimization procedure, enabling the realization of unitary transformations with an average amplitude fidelity surpassing 0.99, showcasing the high precision required for quantum photonic applications.
In this work, we present a novel design and implementation of a lens-free phase imaging system with multi-angle illumination that enhances axial resolution and image quality. The technology, which is based on a common-path shearing interferometer with phase shifting, enables ultra-high sensitivity better than 0.2 nm in optical path difference (OPD), while operating over a wide FoV (>10 mm²) and a large volume (>10 mm³). We show results in several applications, from surface topographies to volumetric structures, including imaging of 10 nm thin transparent topographies and of volumetric laser-written refractive index structures in glass. The high sensitivity and low noise make the proposed technology ideally suited for imaging of low contrast structures on the surface or inside transparent materials, such as defects, impurities, or changes in refractive index.
We exploit femtosecond laser writing to create an alkali-metal vapor cell, the core component of an atomic sensor. This laser-written vapor-cell (LWVC) technology allows arbitrarily-shaped 3D geometries and holds the potential for integration with photonic structures and optical components. The fabrication steps of a vapor cell in silica glass will be shown and the possibility of its integration with GRN lenses, as an example of miniaturized optical component, will be investigated. We successfully use this device for sub-Doppler saturated absorption spectroscopy and single beam optical magnetometry to validate its functioning.
Femtosecond laser written (FLW) reconfigurable photonic integrated circuits are attracting large attention from many applications thanks to their unique features. However, in these devices the frequency response of thermo-optic phase shifters is currently limited to the Hz range, hindering the diffusion of FLW circuits in different fields. Here, we present a thermally-reconfigurable Mach-Zehnder interferometer inscribed just a few micrometers below the surface of a fused silica substrate. The interferometer design, purposely optimized by finite element simulations, allows for switching time lower than 200 μs, phase modulation of the optical signal at kHz frequency and limited impact on the power dissipation.
Estimation of physical quantities is at the core of most scientific research, and the use of quantum devices promises to enhance its performances. In real scenarios, it is fundamental to consider that resources are limited, and Bayesian adaptive estimation represents a powerful approach to efficiently allocate, during the estimation process, all the available resources. However, this framework relies on the precise knowledge of the system model, retrieved with a fine calibration, with results that are often computationally and experimentally demanding. We introduce a model-free and deep-learning-based approach to efficiently implement realistic Bayesian quantum metrology tasks accomplishing all the relevant challenges, without relying on any a priori knowledge of the system. To overcome this need, a neural network is trained directly on experimental data to learn the multiparameter Bayesian update. Then the system is set at its optimal working point through feedback provided by a reinforcement learning algorithm trained to reconstruct and enhance experiment heuristics of the investigated quantum sensor. Notably, we prove experimentally the achievement of higher estimation performances than standard methods, demonstrating the strength of the combination of these two black-box algorithms on an integrated photonic circuit. Our work represents an important step toward fully artificial intelligence-based quantum metrology.
We recently performed tests of the discrete beam combiner (DBC) through an on-sky experiment using a 4-input pupil remappers-based integrated optics device. Here, we report on the lessons learned, as well as visibilities and closure phase results for our stellar target, Vega. Through complementary simulations, we analyze how the residual phase errors, input power imbalance at the waveguides, slow environmental changes, and different photon levels affect the performance of the DBC. This is an important aspect to improve future on-sky calibration strategies for this type of beam combiner, in particular when combining a large number of apertures.
Satellite-based optical quantum technologies represent a promising field for obtaining a worldwide quantum network. However, due to the limited size of satellites and the adverse conditions of a space environment, only compact and resistant devices can be used for this purpose. In this respect, we present for the first time the space qualification of integrated photonic circuits fabricated by Ultrafast Laser Writing. By inscribing different straight waveguides, directional couplers and Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and by exposing them to appropriate proton and gamma ray irradiations, we show that our integrated devices are suited for performing quantum experiments in a low Earth orbit.
In long-baseline interferometry, over the last few decades integrated optics beam combiners have become at- tractive technological solutions for new-generation instruments operating at infrared wavelengths. We have investigated different architectures of discrete beam combiners (DBC), which are 2D lattice arrangement of channel waveguides that can be fabricated by exploiting the 3D capability of the ultrafast laser inscription (ULI) fabrication techniques. Here, we present the first interferometric on-sky results of an integrated optics beam combiner based on a coherent pupil remapper and 4 input/23 output zig-zag based DBC, both written monolith- ically in a single borosilicate glass. We show the preliminary results of visibility amplitudes and closure phases obtained from the Vega star by using the previously calibrated transfer matrix of the device.
Astrophotonics is an emerging tool for increasing the angular resolution in ground-based sky observations. Due to the unpolarized nature of celestial light, it is necessary to operate with fully polarization insensitive integrated devices. In this respect, here we show that a thermal annealing after the femtosecond laser writing of waveguides reduces their birefringence of more than order of magnitude, providing integrated circuits whose behaviour is insensitive to the polarization of the input light. As a validation of this technique, we present the successful fabrication of a low-loss integrated device for performing stellar interferometry of up to 8 input beams.
Stellar interferometry performed in integrated photonic devices allows to increase the angular resolution of a ground-based telescope. Here we present the fabrication and characterization of a low-loss polarization insensitive photonic circuit for astrophotonics, whose geometry was engineered to combine interferometrically up to eight input beams. The employed fabrication technique consisted in the femtosecond laser micromachining followed by a thermal annealing to reduce the birefringence of the waveguides. The fabricated device was characterized to validate its functioning in terms of polarization insensitivity, good transmission and proper beam combination, thus benchmarking its suitability with real on-sky observations.
We will show the first results for a pupil remapping device with an integrated optics discrete beam combiner. Our expected monochromatic visibility functions are in good agreement with simulation and experiment. The device will be used for our upcoming on-sky tests at 4-m Willian-Herschel Telescope (WHT) in canary islands.
We will review the development in the last decade of discrete beam combiners (DBC), phase sensors based on the propagation of light in photonic lattices. The latest results on the development of DBC for astronomical applications will be presented, along with a new application for the complete tomography of modes at the tip of a multi-mode fiber. The possible use of the DBC in monitoring and controlling modal instabilities in high power lasers will be discussed.
Efficient and long-lived multimode quantum memories are crucial devices in the development of quantum technolgies. The reversible mapping of quantum states of light in rare earth doped crystals represents one of the most promising routes towards the realization of this goal. Such systems are also compatible with the miniaturization of quantum memories in integrated optics platforms, which offer unique features in terms of experimental scalability and enhanced light-matter interaction. Here, we fabricate single mode channel waveguides for 606 nm light in a praseodymium-doped yttrium orthosilicate crystal (Pr3+:Y2SiO5), that, thanks to its excellent coherence properties, is a widely studied material for light storage experiments. Waveguides are inscribed by femtosecond laser writing, adopting the so-called Type I configuration, where the core is directly obtained at the irradiated area. Remarkably, fabricating this kind of waveguides in crystals is a difficult task, as it requires to operate in a very narrow processing parameters window, if existing. We then use these waveguides for performing the storage and retrieval of single photons, implementing the atomic frequency comb protocol. We achieve a storage time of 5,5 µs, which is almost 2 orders of magnitude longer than previous realizations of quantum light storage in a waveguide. In addition, we investigate the potential information multiplexing capabilities of our system by performing the quantum storage of single photons delocalized over 14 different spectral modes. Our results show that laser written waveguides in rare earth-doped solid state systems are very promising for the development of efficient and long-lived multimode quantum memories.
The astronomical J-band (1.25 micrometres) is a relatively untapped wave-band in long-baseline infrared interferometry. It allows access to the photosphere in giant and super-giant stars relatively free from opacities of molecular bands. The J-band can potentially be used for imaging spots in the 1350 nm ionised iron line on slowly rotating magnetically-active stars through spectro-interferometry. In addition, the access to the 1080 nanometres He I line may probe out flows and funnel-flows in T-Tauri stars and allow the study of the star-disk interaction.
We present the progress in the development of a six-inputs, J-band interferometric beam combiner based on the discrete beam combiner (DBC) concept. DBCs are periodic arrays of evanescent coupled waveguides which can be used to retrieve simultaneously the complex visibility of every baseline from a multi-aperture interferometer. Existing, planned or future interferometric facilities combine or will combine six or more telescopes at the time, thus increasing the snapshot uv coverage from the interferometric measurements. A better uv coverage will consequently enhance the accuracy of the image reconstruction. DBCs are part of the wider project Integrated astrophotonics that aims to validates photonic technologies for utilisation in astronomy.
Before manufacturing the component we performed extensive numerical simulations with a coupled modes model of the DBC to identify the best input configuration and array length. The 41 waveguides were arranged on a zig-zag array that allows a simple optical setup for dispersing the light at the output of the waveguides.
The component we are currently developing is manufactured in borosilicate glass using the technique of multi-pass ultrafast laser inscription (ULI), using a mode-locked Yb:KYW laser at the wavelength of 1030 nm, pulse duration of 300 fs and repetition rate of 1 MHz. After annealing, the written components showed a propagation loss less than 0.3 dB/cm and a negligible birefringence at a wavelength of 1310 nm, which makes the components suitable for un-polarized light operation. A single mode fiber-to-component insertion loss of 0.9 dB was measured. Work is currently in progress to characterize the components in spectro-interferometric mode with white light covering the J-band spectrum.
Entangled photons generation is an interesting field of research, since progress in this area will directly affect the development of photonic quantum technologies, including quantum computing, simulation and sensing. Several methods have been sifted to increase the performances of entangled photon sources and the integrated optics approach represents a promising strategy. In particular, integrated waveguide sources represent a robust tool, thanks to their stability and the enhancement of nonlinear light-crystal interaction provided by waveguide field confinement.
Here, we show the versatility of a hybrid approach, realizing an integrated optical source for the generation of entangled photon-pairs at telecom wavelength. The nonlinear active medium used is lithium niobate, while the routing and manipulation of the generated signal is performed in aluminum-borosilicate glass photonic circuits. The system is composed of three cascaded devices. First, a balanced directional coupler at the fundamental wavelength equally splits the pump in the lithium niobate waveguides, which generate single-photon pairs through type 0 spontaneous parametric down-conversion process. A third chip, encompassing directional couplers and waveplates, closes the interferometer and recombines the generated photons, thus giving access to different quantum states of light: path-entangled or polarization-entangled states. A thermal phase shifter, which controls the relative phase between the interferometer arms, gives an additional degree of freedom for engineering the output state of the presented photon pairs source. All these components are entirely fabricated by femtosecond laser micromachining, a direct and very versatile technique that allows to process different kind of materials and realize high quality optical circuits.
The reversible mapping of quantum states of light in cryogenically cooled rare earth doped crystals, represents one of the most promising routes towards the realization of efficient and high fidelity quantum memories. The miniaturization of these devices in robust and monolithic integrated-optics platforms would be beneficial both in terms of experimental scalability and of enhanced light-matter interaction, arising from the waveguide field confinement.
Here, for the first time, we fabricate single mode channel waveguides for visible light at 606 nm in a Praseodymium-doped Yttrium Orthosilicate crystal, which is one of the most employed materials for light storage experiments, thanks to its excellent coherence properties. For the waveguide fabrication, we use the direct technique called femtosecond laser micromachining, in which a femtosecond laser beam is focused inside the crystal volume, and produces a permanent and very localized material modification. In particular, we fabricate the waveguide cladding by inscribing a pair of parallel damage tracks which confine light in the in-between region. With this approach, the waveguide core is not directly exposed to the laser irradiation and consequently its bulk properties result only marginally affected. Measurements of the optical coherence time in waveguide gave results comparable to those obtained in a bulk sample and this confirms that the fabrication procedure does not affect the coherence of the active ions. We performed the storage and the on-demand recall of bright coherent pulses in waveguide, using the atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol extended to the ground state.
Encoding many qubits in different degrees of freedom (DOFs) of single photons is one of the routes towards enlarging the Hilbert space spanned by a photonic quantum state. Hyperentangled photon states (i.e. states showing entanglement in multiple DOFs) have demonstrated significant implications for both fundamental physics tests and quantum communication and computation. Increasing the number of qubits of photonic experiments requires miniaturization and integration of the basic elements and functions to guarantee the set-up stability. This motivates the development of technologies allowing the control of different photonic DOFs on a chip. Femtosecond laser writing on a glass makes possible to use both path and polarization of photon states enabling precise control of both degrees of freedom. We demonstrate the contextual use of path and polarization qubits propagating within a laser written integrated quantum circuit and use them to engineer a four qubit hyperentangled cluster state. We also characterized the cluster state and exploited it to perform the Grover's search algorithm following the one-way quantum computation model. In addition, we tested the non-local properties of the cluster state by using multipartite non-locality tests.
Unlike currently implemented encryption schemes, Quantum Key Distribution provides a secure way of generating and distributing a key among two parties. Although a multitude of research platforms has been developed, the integration of QKD units within classical communication systems remains a tremendous challenge. The recently achieved maturity of integrated photonic technologies could be exploited to create miniature QKD add-ons that could extend the primary function of various existing systems such as mobile devices or optical stations. In this work we report on an integrated optics module enabling secure short-distance communication for, e.g., quantum access schemes. Using BB84-like protocols, Alice's mobile low-cost device can exchange secure key and information everywhere within a trusted node network. The new optics platform (35×20×8mm) compatible with current smartphone's technology generates NIR faint polarised laser pulses with 100MHz repetition rate. Fully automated beam tracking and live basis-alignment on Bob's side ensure user-friendly operation with a quantum link efficiency as high as 50% stable over a few seconds.
The application of integrated photonic technologies to quantum optics has recently enabled a wealth of
breakthrough experiments in several quantum information areas. In particular, femtosecond laser written
optical circuits revealed to be the ideal tool for investigating the features of polarization encoded qubits.
However, the difficulty of integrating half and quarter wave plates in such circuits avoids the possibility to
perform arbitrary rotations of the polarization state of photons on chip.
Femtosecond laser written waveguides intrinsically exhibit a certain degree of birefringence and thus they
could be exploited as integrated waveplates. In practice, the direction of the birefringence axes of the
waveguides is the same of the propagation direction of the writing femtosecond laser beam, namely
perpendicular to the substrate surface. Its fine rotation in a controlled fashion, preserving the accuracy of the
positioning of the laser focal spot required by the fabrication process, is extremely challenging. In order to
achieve this goal, we combine a high NA (1.4) focusing objective partially filled with a reduced diameter
writing beam. In this way, the translation of the beam with respect to the objective center produces a rotation
of the focusing direction, without altering the focal spot position. With this method we are able to tilt the
birefringence axes of the waveguides up to 45°, and thus to use them as integrated light polarization rotators.
In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of these components, we developed a fully integrated device capable
to perform the quantum tomography of an arbitrary two-photon polarization state.
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